Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disorder that may eventually lead to serious complications which involves the nerves and the circulatory system. Such complications are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Moreover, some acute complications can result in very grave illnesses. It is very alarming how it has caused mortality to a lot of people. To control this kind of disease, the person affected must have the knowledge of the whole picture of the illness to be able to commit on taking care of the self.
Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you must make a move to control this. The main objective for control is to restore blood glucose levels to ideal range. It follows that the control will significantly delay and in some cases even prevent the development of long-term complications of this disease. The patient's knowledge on this illness will be the key to a successful management.
There are two types of Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes or the insulin-dependent and Type II Diabetes or the non-insulin dependent. Of the two, the most common form is the second type. An important predisposing factor of developing this is through the genes. A quick family history assessment can give you an idea if you are more prone to getting this disease. Aside from that, high risks for this kind of Diabetes are those who are obese. Obesity is the only modifiable factor for this type.
There are three recommended management of Type II Diabetes Mellitus to assist in reaching the ideal blood glucose levels. First is of course the emphasis on dietary modification. Basically, the patient must stay away from sugars and cholesterol. It is important also to have an appropriate timing of meals. You can consult a dietitian to be able to plan together your food for every meal based on your choice of food, lifestyle and financial capacity.
The second thing to do is to control the weight through proper exercise. Regular exercise can keep this kind of disease under control. It also causes an increased sensitivity of muscle tissue to insulin which may lead to a lower dose of anti-diabetic medication. Exercise can also decrease the patient's appetite while increasing his expenditure. Thus, it will assist him the person affected in his restrictions of certain amount of calories in the diet.
The third management is to strictly follow the instructions of a physician on the schedule and dose of an oral anti-diabetic agent. This medication will help lower increasing levels of blood glucose in the body. The patient should be properly educated on the name, purpose, effects and some possible effects of the medicine so that he will know what to do when any adverse effects will happen.
Diabetes has been with us for centuries. And in America, it's become one of our most lethal diseases. But, much like AIDs, it's often not the disease that kills the person, it's the health complications caused by damage to other parts of the body. For instance, diabetes, untreated, slowly destroys the cardiovascular system of a person which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
But what is the cause of diabetes and is it preventable?
There are mainly two types of diabetes, and the causes are different. In type 1 diabetes, the cause is usually a viral attack on the pancreas by antibodies in the bloodstream. In other words, it is your own body that is attacking the pancreas. The pancreas is one of the major organs of the body. It secretes insulin which the body uses to help it to convert blood sugar to energy. Unable to convert the blood sugar to energy, the sugar simply builds up in the bloodstream eventually reaching high enough levels that it begins to destroy the body from the inside. In those with type 1 diabetes, the usual treatment is to have them take insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is usually caused by a combination of poor food choices, poor food portion control, and lack of exercise. This is highlighted by the fact that teenage onset diabetes has dramatically jumped in the last 20 years. Now, our bodies have not changed that much in twenty years. What has changed, however is the amount of fast foods that we eat.
Fast foods are almost always high in calories. And, you can almost plot a straight line showing that as the weight of our teens have increased, so have the number of incidences of diabetes in their group.
In addition, we as a nation are exercising less. Mandatory, gym classes have virtually been eliminated from many of our schools and many of the popular entertainments today - video games, computer activities, and so on - involve some sort of sedentary activity where the body doesn't have to move much.
Doctors mainly use two types of tests for diabetes - urine tests and blood tests. A urine test will test your urine for protein. One of the earliest organs that diabetes can damage is the kidney. If the kidney is damaged, excess protein will show up in the urine because the kidney is having trouble filtering impurities. A blood test will test for excess glucose in the bloodstream. A test showing that you have above levels of glucose usually indicates that your body is not producing enough insulin to process the sugar in your blood.
Is diabetes preventable? Some types are, such as many of the type 2 onset diabetes cases which are triggered by lifestyle choices. Type 1 diabetes cases are not preventable, at least not yet. But promising signs on the gene research front indicate that within the next 10 to 15 years we might very well see a diabetes vaccine that can protect a person from type 1 diabetes.
Heredity, is the elephant in the room when it comes to diabetes. Research studies have proven that it plays a part, but to what extent is yet unknown. The bright point, however, is that even if your heredity predisposes you towards diabetes, by making lifestyle changes you can do many things to ensure that you never get it.
Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you must make a move to control this. The main objective for control is to restore blood glucose levels to ideal range. It follows that the control will significantly delay and in some cases even prevent the development of long-term complications of this disease. The patient's knowledge on this illness will be the key to a successful management.
There are two types of Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes or the insulin-dependent and Type II Diabetes or the non-insulin dependent. Of the two, the most common form is the second type. An important predisposing factor of developing this is through the genes. A quick family history assessment can give you an idea if you are more prone to getting this disease. Aside from that, high risks for this kind of Diabetes are those who are obese. Obesity is the only modifiable factor for this type.
There are three recommended management of Type II Diabetes Mellitus to assist in reaching the ideal blood glucose levels. First is of course the emphasis on dietary modification. Basically, the patient must stay away from sugars and cholesterol. It is important also to have an appropriate timing of meals. You can consult a dietitian to be able to plan together your food for every meal based on your choice of food, lifestyle and financial capacity.
The second thing to do is to control the weight through proper exercise. Regular exercise can keep this kind of disease under control. It also causes an increased sensitivity of muscle tissue to insulin which may lead to a lower dose of anti-diabetic medication. Exercise can also decrease the patient's appetite while increasing his expenditure. Thus, it will assist him the person affected in his restrictions of certain amount of calories in the diet.
The third management is to strictly follow the instructions of a physician on the schedule and dose of an oral anti-diabetic agent. This medication will help lower increasing levels of blood glucose in the body. The patient should be properly educated on the name, purpose, effects and some possible effects of the medicine so that he will know what to do when any adverse effects will happen.
Diabetes has been with us for centuries. And in America, it's become one of our most lethal diseases. But, much like AIDs, it's often not the disease that kills the person, it's the health complications caused by damage to other parts of the body. For instance, diabetes, untreated, slowly destroys the cardiovascular system of a person which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
But what is the cause of diabetes and is it preventable?
There are mainly two types of diabetes, and the causes are different. In type 1 diabetes, the cause is usually a viral attack on the pancreas by antibodies in the bloodstream. In other words, it is your own body that is attacking the pancreas. The pancreas is one of the major organs of the body. It secretes insulin which the body uses to help it to convert blood sugar to energy. Unable to convert the blood sugar to energy, the sugar simply builds up in the bloodstream eventually reaching high enough levels that it begins to destroy the body from the inside. In those with type 1 diabetes, the usual treatment is to have them take insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is usually caused by a combination of poor food choices, poor food portion control, and lack of exercise. This is highlighted by the fact that teenage onset diabetes has dramatically jumped in the last 20 years. Now, our bodies have not changed that much in twenty years. What has changed, however is the amount of fast foods that we eat.
Fast foods are almost always high in calories. And, you can almost plot a straight line showing that as the weight of our teens have increased, so have the number of incidences of diabetes in their group.
In addition, we as a nation are exercising less. Mandatory, gym classes have virtually been eliminated from many of our schools and many of the popular entertainments today - video games, computer activities, and so on - involve some sort of sedentary activity where the body doesn't have to move much.
Doctors mainly use two types of tests for diabetes - urine tests and blood tests. A urine test will test your urine for protein. One of the earliest organs that diabetes can damage is the kidney. If the kidney is damaged, excess protein will show up in the urine because the kidney is having trouble filtering impurities. A blood test will test for excess glucose in the bloodstream. A test showing that you have above levels of glucose usually indicates that your body is not producing enough insulin to process the sugar in your blood.
Is diabetes preventable? Some types are, such as many of the type 2 onset diabetes cases which are triggered by lifestyle choices. Type 1 diabetes cases are not preventable, at least not yet. But promising signs on the gene research front indicate that within the next 10 to 15 years we might very well see a diabetes vaccine that can protect a person from type 1 diabetes.
Heredity, is the elephant in the room when it comes to diabetes. Research studies have proven that it plays a part, but to what extent is yet unknown. The bright point, however, is that even if your heredity predisposes you towards diabetes, by making lifestyle changes you can do many things to ensure that you never get it.
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